The text of Facebook’s email to telecom regulatory body, TRAI, for its Save Free Basics campaign has been changed. The new text, quite predictably, says that zero-rating platforms should not be banned. In addition, the email responds to four specific questions in TRAI’s paper regarding the differential pricing of data services. The new text goes, "It is not clear that the Free Basics programme should be considered as differential pricing, but even if it is, Free Basics should be allowed under any regulatory framework adopted by TRAI." This is in response to TRAI’s question on whether differential pricing should be allowed to telecom service providers, for data usage and accessing apps and websites.
The move comes after TRAI disregarded responses from Facebook users supporting its Free Basics platform. The regulatory body had said that the response didn’t answer the specific questions that TRAI had asked about such services. Facebook had been asking users to send emails to the regulator, but was also criticised for misleading users and abusing its own dominance on the Internet market. Hence, the social network is now addressing TRAI’s questions directly. TRAI Chairman, R.S. Sharma, had earlier said that its consultation paper on differential pricing wasn’t an “opinion poll” and had disregarded the 14 lakh plus comments that came through Facebook. Sharma said that the comments coming through Facebook just said that “they love Free Basics,” which wasn’t enough.
Facebook’s new email text also responds to the question about what the alternatives to differential pricing plans can be, stating, “There are various models that could be used to provide free Internet access. However, Free Basics is the kind of programme that should be allowed under any regulatory framework. It brings more people online faster and provides newly connected users with an onramp to the full Internet.”
What’s your take on Facebook’s Free Basics programme? Have you taken the Digit Survey on Free Basics yet?